Yes. Results from São Paulo Ageing and Health Study, published in 2008, showed that non-skilled occupation and unfavourable personal income increased the risk of dementia. Illiteracy and a cumulative effect of socioeconomic adversities across the life-course were also associated with higher prevalence of dementia in São Paulo (Scazufca et al., 2010).

References:

Scazufca, M., Almeida, O. P., & Menezes, P. R. (2010). The role of literacy, occupation and income in dementia prevention: The São Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH). International Psychogeriatrics, 22(8), 1209–1215. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610210001213

A study has found a cross-sectional association between neighbourhood economic disadvantages and prevalence of dementia among 21,008 older adults aged 65 years and over. Data were extracted from 18 Elderly Health Centres of the Department of Health from 2009 to 2011. The results suggested that the higher the neighbourhood economic disadvantage, the higher the prevalence of dementia in the neighbourhood (Guo et al., 2019).

References:

Guo, Y., Chan, C. H., Chang, Q., Liu, T., & Yip, P. S. (2019). Neighborhood environment and cognitive function in older adults: A multilevel analysis in Hong Kong. Health & place, 58, 102146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.102146

Some of the common conditions that have been found to accelerate the ageing process and affect longevity in developing countries are early exposure to adverse conditions such as poverty, malnutrition, prenatal stress, and infectious diseases (Kalaria et al., 2008). Poverty, low literacy and lower socioeconomic status have been found to be closely linked and further associated with poor access to health care and thus an increased risk of cognitive impairment (Sengupta et al., 2014).

References:

Kalaria, R. N., Maestre, G. E., Arizaga, R., Friedland, R. P., Galasko, D., Hall, K., … & Prince, M. (2008). Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in developing countries: prevalence, management, and risk factors. The Lancet Neurology, 7(9), 812-826. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70169-8

Sengupta, P., Benjamin, A. I., Singh, Y., & Grover, A. (2014). Prevalence and correlates of cognitive impairment in a north Indian elderly population. WHO South-East Asia journal of public health, 3(2), 135-143. https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.206729

There is no evidence of association between dementia and poverty in Indoensia.

Badan Pusat Statistik (Statistics Indonesia) uses a basic needs approach to define poverty. Living in poverty is defined as monthly per capita expense (food and non-food commodities) lower than the established poverty line. As of March 2019 the poverty line in Indonesia was Rp 425.250,-/capita/month. Approximately 25.14 million people (9.41% of the national population) were defined as living in poverty. This number in 2019 represents a historically all-time low (Badan Pusat Statistik, 2019a). Although there has been no evidence regarding association between dementia and poverty in Indonesia, Yogyakarta is one of the provinces with high rates of poverty (11.7%) (Badan Pusat Statistik, 2019a). However, this is not the case for Bali. Therefore, it is not possible to draw a conclusion based on these data.

References:

Badan Pusat Statistik. (2019a). Berita Resmi Statistik.

No data was sourced.

One study associated dementia and poverty through qualitative interviews. Due to the huge financial cost of pharmacological treatment of dementia and reduction in a person’s productivity, families often have to sell off their assets to cater for diagnosis and care for the person with dementia. This can drain family resources and lead to poverty (Njoki, 2018).

References:

Njoki, M. (2018). Dementia in Africa: an exploration of Kenyan carers’ experiences supporting someone with dementia. https://dementia.stir.ac.uk/blogs/dementia-centred/2018-05-17/dementia-africa-exploration-kenyan-carers-experiences-supporting

There are no sufficient studies to prove this. However, as it was previously mentioned, Acosta-Castillo et al. (2017), demonstrate great variability in the prevalence of dementia by state and suggest that numerous people affected by dementia experience high levels of deprivation.

References:

Acosta-Castillo, G. I., Sosa-Ortiz, A. L., Manrique Espinoza, B. S., Salinas Rodriguez, A., & Juárez, M. de los Á. L. (2017). Prevalence of Dementia By State and Level of Marginalization in Mexico. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 13(7), P512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2017.06.583

There is no NZ data on the link between poverty and dementia in NZ.

There is limited data published with regards to the prevalence of dementia in Africa as well as South Africa (De Jager et al., 2017; Meyer et al., 2016). Although prevalence is generally expected to be higher in urban areas, a rural community study in Amatole District (Kwazulu-Natal) found a higher than expected prevalence rate of 11%, where the World Alzheimer’s report (2016) estimated 4% (De Jager et al., 2017). Although no population-based dementia prevalence rates exist for the urban–rural geographical areas, national statistics indicate that the 65.1% of the country’s population over the age of 60 live in urban areas (StatsSA, 2015b). When disaggregated by population group, the dominance of the urban bias holds true for all population groups with the exception (although marginal) of the black African population, where most older persons (50.6%) for this group were found in rural areas in 2016 (StatsSA, 2015b).

References:

De Jager, CA, Msemburi, W., Pepper, K., & Combrinck, M. (2017). Dementia Prevalence in a Rural Region of South Africa: A Cross-Sectional Community Study. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 60(3), 1087–1096. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-170325

Meyer, J. C., Harirari, P., & Schellack, N. (2016). Overview of Alzheimer ’ s disease and its management. South African Pharmaceutical Journal, 83(9), 48–56.

StatsSA. (2015b). Vulnerable Groups Series I: The Social Profile of Youth, 2009–2014. In StatsSA (Vol. 03, Issue 03). Available from:  http://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=6395%5Cnhttp://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=6135